Start Scalabrine?
by Jeff Clark on May 5, 2009 10:40 AM EDT
in Boston Celtics Articles
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PrintBrian Scalabrine was one of the best Celtics on the court last night and the prevailing wisdom is that he matches up better with Rashard Lewis than Big Baby Davis does. Big Baby has been solid in Garnett's absence but Scalabrine has been a spot starter in the past before (with positive results). So why not start Scalabrine? (the idea is being discussed at length on the message boards)
When asked about the prospect of his role increasing, Scal downplayed the notion in order to give verbal support to his teammate Glen Davis (a smart thing considering his emotional temperament). via the Herald:
"They've been saying that based on Baby (Davis) might have trouble against Rashard Lewis," Scalabrine said before scoring 10 points in 26 minutes of last night's 95-90 loss to Orlando at the Garden. "You can't go on that. Big Baby's a good defender. I'll be ready if they call on me but not because of that."
Scal ended up playing good defense on Lewis, but according to Rivers, that wasn't the case in the first half (Globe)
"Scal really struggled guarding Lewis," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers about some of the first-half breakdowns. "They went to the post two or three times and he scored. I thought Scal made a great adjustment in the second half, fronting him more, getting him off the block.
The idea of starting Scal has a lot of merit. I for one like the idea of Big Baby coming in later to give Perkins a breather against Dwight Howard. And if Scal really can slow down Lewis more than Davis, it makes sense to prevent another big early game deficit.
On the other hand, you have to hope that the "demotion" doesn't negatively effect Big Baby's emotions to the point that he's knocked out of his rhythm. Also, Baby does provide some beef in the starting lineup which in theory helps with rebounding.
So what do you think? Stick with what got us here or make an adjustment moving forward?
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I like the idea of Scal starting...
1) He’s proven in the past that he’s a good fit with the starters;
2) He’s a better defender on Lewis, and he proved in the second half that he can disrupt Hedu, as well; and
3) It would allow us to bring BBD off the bench to guard Howard, when Perk goes to the bench.
The team played much, much better with Scal in the game last night. It’s not a knock on BBD; this series is just a mismatch for him.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
I wouldn’t over analyze it too much or call for a rotation shift. The C’s just didn’t do what they do best – defend and play with energy – in the first half, and when they did it in the second half they were clearly the better team. Don’t look for them to repeat the error next game, and I wouldn’t look for Ray to have another poor shooting game. I think Kenny, Chris, and Charles all echoed the idea (that Doc gave in game 7 against the bulls) that when you start asking players to do things they’re not used to (play a different position, change the rotation, etc) they tend to struggle.
There is no panic in the Celtics, the fans shouldn’t either.
I’m not going to argue with any attempt to improve our defense. Scal seemed to handle Turkoglu pretty well too. And I think that all our players play more confident team D with Scal in the game, since if anyone will be in position, it’s Scal.
My guess is Davis would appreciate the opportunity to put his skills to best use, and if that’s taking passes from Marbury and dominating the Orlando second unit so be it. He’ll still critical to our chances and he’ll still get all the minutes he can handle.
by Thruthelookingglass on May 5, 2009 9:21 AM EDT reply actions
OK - DAVIS CANNOT REBOUND....
…why do we keep equating his presence with rebounding – the team gets massively out rebounded in the first round with him as the starter and he did nothing to change that last night – he isn’t a rebounding presence….though neither is Scal.
However, Scal makes more sense defensively against Lewis – period. A good deal of Lewis’ early success was how easily he was able to get the shots he wanted early against Davis. Once he had it rolling it was hard to get him back into the box.
Davis has come a long way, but he is at his best defensively as a 5 and this team desperately needs to be able to throw more than just Perk at Howard – who they did a great job of containing last night offensively.
On the offensive side of things, Davis is going to be very limited against Lewis – kick out J’s is about it for this series as a 4 – but at the 5, that set jumper becomes a tool that can get Howard out of the paint, which would allow Davis to put the ball on the floor or simply move it to another who can get into the now-clear lane.
Bottom line – Doc did a very good job adjusting the first 6 for the 2nd half of the game, but probably needs to be a little more generous with his distribution of minutes at the guard spots – Ray/Paul/Rondo cannot play 11-42 basketball if the Celtics want to see the Garden again in this series – but I don’t expect them to be that bad again.
Look for 30 from Ray next game…
Another Roller Coaster Ride In My Living Room
I agree that Scal should start but we will give up some rebounds in the process. Scal proved he could play D on Lewis and we certainly did not lose offense with him in the game. His increased playing time was also because he was making shots and Allen and Pierce were not. At times, he was our only reliable offensive player. So, we got the benefit from Scal on both ends last night. But BBD has to play, and play more than simply spell Perk. DOc has to find a way to get both Scal and BBD minutes.
This was a hard game to watch. Although I am heartened by the comeback, we should have never been in that hole to begin with. Rondo played a bit better in the 4th Q, but his reckless play before that caused us to go in the hole in the first place. He should not be trusted with making 20 foot shots. His game is to penetrate and/or dish out. He has to get the ball to the scorers in the 4th and dribbled way to much last night trying to figure out what to do. And his errant pass to Pierce on a break away late in the 4th was reckless.
The Magic demonstrated last night that they can be beat. Redick and Pietrus combined for 29 points but I do not see that happening all series. What is great about a Game 1 is both teams get a feel for their opponent and make adjustments. Hopefully, Doc and his staff can make the necessary adjustments. However, a lot of our failing was due to Rondo’s erratic play and Ray/Pierce’s inability to shoot better. Perk played well and was intense as always. Loved Steph’s play as well. Doc may have to play him more if Rondo continues to make bad decisions. Marbury can penetrate like Rondo, is a good passer and, perhaps more importantly for this series, a better shooter. I still like our chances. We have to get Game 2 and momentum back.
Here is a crazy idea....(mini-thread jack)
…I’m not sure what I even think of this, but
How about some spot minutes for Billy on Lewis. Billy is certainly tough enough and athletic enough to stay with Lewis (or Hedo). Given what we’ve seen from TA lately, I want no part of Tony (and I’m a Tony supporter!). Free Billy.
And I’d prefer Doc starts BBD, I think Scal is better off the bench.
When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"
Two problems with this...
1) Walker is a fouling machine; and
2) He just doesn’t have the size to guard Lewis effectively. He’s giving up 4 or 5 inches.
But I agree that I’d rather see Walker than Tony. Both, however, would be a last resort.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
hence the key use of “spot” minutes on Lewis….like 4 or 5.
I think Billy’s ups can overcome some of the height, not all. The real problem is we don’t have a single healthy player that can match up with Lewis height wise, so I don’t know that is a huge factor for Billy as its there in every case.
When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"
In terms of height and defense...
Scal is a solid matchup, I think. Not a great one, but better than Walker, in my opinion.
The biggest problem with Walker was his 8.5 personal fouls per 36 minutes. He could easily commit two fouls in the five suggested minutes. I like Walker’s potential for the long-term, and wish he’d gotten more minutes during the season, but at this point he’s just not ready for prime time in my opinion.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
Yep. The only way to find out would be to give him a few minutes and see how he handles it. Its intriguing to me. I could see it either working out quite well or failing miserably with no in between scenario. I don’t know what the answer is , but we need BBD to back up Perk on Howard and Scal can’t be the lone man on Lewis all game. It might be worth a try.
When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"
I was thinking that way from the git go. PP on Rashad, tho, and Scal/Walker on the slower footed Hedo (Not Tony*, note). BBD to join Perk in the sumo match w/Mr. Howard. Ol Doc can be mighty stubborn with his rotations, but Id wager this makes for better match-ups. Just explain to Davis its a question of roles, not demotion.
*As for “drive first think later what shot clock” Mr Tony, putting the reserve small fwd slot on his wayward court awareness may have bee the (un)clinching move of the off season. Maye we could have gotten something out of Darius Miles. And didnt Salmon pass through town on his way to Chi town as part off the Paddy departure? Opps.
Nope, that was Will Solomon, backup point guard
Fear not, Unstoppable John did not slip threw our fingers.
-sw
The best of the 2008-09 Boston Celtics is still yet to come. Believe.
by Steve Weinman on May 6, 2009 1:33 AM EDT up reply actions
I Like Scals
I think Scals should start because he can guard Rashard Lewis better than Baby can. Also, Baby was part of the 2nd unit and might work better with them. In addition it would save fouls on Baby.
"I don't come to play, I come to WIN"--Larry Bird
"Criminally Negligent Officiating"--Tommy Heinsohn
Celtic Fans
In the Chicago series when the C’s were beating the Bulls badly in game 3 their fans booed and left the arena. Last nite when our team was doing badly and Rondo couldn’t reach the basket on a free throw our fans rooted our team on. We have great fans in Boston and I congratulate all the fans at the game last nite.
"I don't come to play, I come to WIN"--Larry Bird
"Criminally Negligent Officiating"--Tommy Heinsohn
I'm not sure what Doc is talking about...
Scal struggled guarding Lewis? Lewis only scored 5 points when Scal was on the floor all game. I’ll take that every game, without question.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
In the first half in the post...
Is where Scal struggled against Lewis. In the 2nd half, Scal fronted Lewis and held him to 0 for 3 shooting.
by SalmonAndMashedPotatoes on May 5, 2009 11:39 AM EDT up reply actions
In the first half...
Scal gave up 4 points to Lewis. He may have gotten burned on a couple of plays, but it didn’t hurt the team all that much. BBD was much worse against Lewis (giving up 10 points in the first quarter, I believe.)
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
Lewis did go off during Baby’s time on the court, but those weren’t one-on-one situations…it was more that Lewis was taking advantage of a slow rotating defense, up-faking on the perimeter and taking a one-dribble drive and dropping mid-range Js on us (he’s also got an easy dunk in transition off a steal).
Scal was victimized in the 2nd quarter one-on-one and that’s what Doc was talking about. Scal was much better in the 2nd half (after getting a pointer from KG, as reported in the Globe, I think) and I expect he’s going to be very important in this series.
by SalmonAndMashedPotatoes on May 5, 2009 12:33 PM EDT up reply actions
?????
So since BBD couldn’t stick with his man like Scal did it is the rotations fault?!
Scal plays so much smarter defense than BBD. If the guy wasn’t so smart he would be in the league because we all know he isn’t a stellar athlete. Results are what matters, and consistently Scal has helped us play better as a team. Since BBD can’t rebound very well either (That play with BBD following the missed outside shot that any other PF would have caught and dunked, yet he was so far below the rim and the Magic players was very tough to see multiple times in slow motion), and has a lot of offensive confidence right now, this should be a no brainer…
I am going to start calling Scal “Finger Roll-EENIE” after that baseline finger roll over three Magic players.
No
Lewis got free in the first quarter because of team defensive breakdowns, not because Baby can’t guard him one-on-one (which I don’t think he can anyway). If Lewis would have gotten Baby in one-on-one situations he probably would have beaten him too…but that’s not how he got his buckets in the 1st quarter.
Scal got beat one-on-one in the 2nd quarter because the Magic were going after him. Scal played behind Lewis on the block and Lewis easily got what he wanted. In the 2nd half, he junked it up and Lewis backed down. Good job by Scal (and good pointer by KG who told Scal to ‘get dirty’).
Baby and Scal are pretty equal when it comes to BBIQ. Scal has the obvious edge in terms of experience, but Baby gets by with limited athleticism because he can think the game. Scal too.
Scal’s the better matchup against Lewis, though he’s going to have his problems the Magic make it a point to go after him…or if Lewis ever decides he really wants to get to the rim (and Lewis can go whole game without challenging anybody—he’s very soft). But, yes, Scal is the better fit against Lewis than Baby.
Personally, I thought the Baby/Scal lineup (with Baby at 5, Scal at 4) was very effective. Scal stretches the defense, gives Rondo room to roam, and Baby moves Howard further from the basket because of his 15-footer, which also allows Rondo to penetrate and kick. If I were coach, I’d start Scal (or move Pierce to the 4 and start TA) and use Baby as backup center in this series. Baby and Perk were actually very effective defensively against Howard in Game 1. We’ll see if that continues on Wednesday.
Doc has some nice options in this series, and unlike Chicago, he can actually matchup well with Orlando by going small. If he wants defense, he can play a Rondo/TA/Ray/Paul/Perk lineup (with Scal also an option instead of TA). If he wants offense, he can play a Rondo/Ray/Paul/Scal/Baby lineup. We just need Doc to make the right decisions.
by SalmonAndMashedPotatoes on May 5, 2009 1:13 PM EDT up reply actions
Scal with the Pressure
Just remembered after looking at the pic again, Scal did a fantastic job picking up full court and harassing Hedo last night. I’ve never seen him do that, he excelled at it. The Magic weren’t getting into their offense until about 15 seconds were left on the shot clock.
When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"
Doc, use the damn bench!
The starters are gassed…two key injured players are already gone for the playoffs…stop losing the war of attrition!
It`s done by utilizing what`s left of your roster…and making sure “fresh” legs see action.
Pruitt & Walker have game….Mikki is not the stiff people make him out to be…TA can run the floor and defend!
Pruitt and Walker didn't prove themselves during the season...
Now is not the time for on the job training. I thought Walker should have gotten more minutes during the season, but that ship has sailed.
As for Moore and Tony… I think they’re both atrocious basketball players, and I’ve got no problem with Doc sitting them. Starbury, Eddie, and Scal (or BBD) should be the bench rotation.
All the negativity in this town sucks. It sucks, and it stinks, and it sucks. - Rick Pitino
100% with roy
Mikki can come in when we need it, but that’s where it ends.
Scal/BBD, marbury, and eddie.
the lone exception is if we’ve got a bit of a lead and pierce/ray needs a breather, then maybe, MAYBE tony can see the floor.
pruitt & walker, definitely not.
It was 40 years ago tonight...May 5, 1969
Bill Russell walked off the court a winner for the final time!
Celtics 108, Lakers 106
Fabulous Forum
scal was even better...
guarding hedo, forced him way way away from the basket and kept him in front of him. You could see hedo force it up a few times trying to prove he had something on scal…
I have been saying this for months:Scal is channeling Posey
Once Brian was in a position to watch someone do his job the right way, one Scal could nearly replicate, he absorbed the lesson very thoroughly. I don’t care if Brian starts though I think its a good idea. But we can’t win without him and he needs to play 30 minutes plus. Baby can do 14 minutes backing up Perk and baby can do 16-24 minutes playing For Scal while Scal also plays 4 minutes or so to spell Paul. Yeah that means a Perk, Baby, Scal lineup briefly. Scal is what we have as a 6th man right now, he is playing well and frankly he is going to keep playing well. he may well save us.
right Scal, marbury and Eddie and that is pretty much what you have to go with. And if those three are playing well its a decent bench
Ray will have to play a few minutes at the three also and he has already been doing that so its nothing new. Paul is the one who looks worn out so Id like to see him playing no more than 38 minutes
I voted to start Scalabrine
But I think it would affect BBD’s performances to play with the second unit. Anyway I think it’s worth the try, considering how well Scal played in game 1.
If Ray had just a below average game last night
We would have won. I still say the Bulls match up tougher than the Magic.
by The Real Large James 2 on May 5, 2009 11:50 AM EDT reply actions
Don't know if he should start
But the fact is that this year, the celts are undefeated when Scal started. (for a fistful of games though)
If Rondo doesn't Penetrate...
It doesn’t matter who they start at pf.
Perkins and Rondo are the keys to this series: Perkins to keep Howard in check and Rondo to put pressure on Orlando’s defense. If Rondo plays passively, as he did in the first half last night, the Celtics are toast.
I don't thin it's necessary
Just adjust his minutes. We need him on Hedo when Pierce is out. Then we need Baby on Howard when Perkins is out. And we’ll probably need Scal on Lewis as much as possible, under the previous restrictions. Keep the starting unit, play them for 6 minutes and then go from there.
Doc`s coaching style...
Is to bow down and do whatever Celtic Nation wants.
Doc wants to be liked.
So, should he see this blog…..look for him to start Scal!
Baby starts
Baby sets a pretty mean pick. I’d like to see Ray get hot in the beginning. In order for this to happen, we need good, solid screens from him, Perk, and Paul. Pile up some points, then work Scal into the rotation to spread the floor a little more and get some drives to the basket with the option of kicking it out to Eddie or Scal for 3.
"I don't hate anyone, at least not for more than 48 minutes, barring overtime."
-Sir Charles Barkley
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